Take Us Back
by liondancer17
Summary: "Who are you trying to save?" "My only friend, you?" "Everyone."    In a place between timelines, Homura Akemi and Italy Veneziano meet.


A/N

I just finished Madoka Magica on Friday, and I loved it. So much. I love the magical girl genre, and dark stories, so that was like a playground for me. I loved it.

And I love HetaOni, so this one-shot began forming in my head. I hope you guys like it!

Magica-just before Homura's last loop.

HetaOni-sometime before the latest loop.

XXXxxxX(Homura's POV)XxxxXXX

Homura Akemi was lying on her back, staring up at the swirling violet-on-black mass above her. She was in her Puella Magi uniform, her silky black hair fanned around her, like an inky black pool against swirling violet. Her right arm lay across her stomach; her shield seemed to weigh her down. She could hear the clicking and whirring of the gears in it, constant reminders of the time that was passing her by. She had to move, to move on, to reach the next timeline, but she couldn't. Everything weighed down upon her, dragging her down, keeping her trapped under it. Her responsibilities, her shield, the ring her soul gem was held in, they all chained her to the ground. All she could do was stare up at the twisted imitation of a sky that swirled above her, and remember.

"_I'll definitely protect you. This time, I'll save you."_

_"Madoka, don't say that I shouldn't save you. I can't do everything. I can't save everyone. But, in spite of that, I wanted to save you. So, don't say that."_

She heard the sound of soft footsteps approaching. She shifted her head slightly, as much as she could, and saw dark brown boots, splashed in red, stop beside her. A boy sat down next to her, his arms across his knees, and he stared straight ahead. His hair was a light auburn, almost red. His uniform was blue, and his eyes, from what she could see, were chestnut.

In his hands was a journal, leather bound, and old.

His uniform, his hair, his hands, they were all splashed with red.

"Who are you?" Homura asked. Her voice was soft and rasped, choked from the weights that bound her. She was tired, so tired, and now she could show it, even if it was to this boy she didn't know. He looked at her. His eyes were old, the eyes of someone who had seen more than Homura could tell. And yet, a smile was on his face. A sad, bitter smile, but it was a smile.

"My name is Veneziano. You?" he asked. His Japanese was accented with an Italian accent. For a moment, she didn't reply. Her left hand rose, absently touching her shield.

"Homura Akemi." She replied. A comfortable silence fell between them. He was staring straight ahead, into the darkness, still holding his journal. She was watching him.

"Who are you trying to save?" she finally asked, wanting something to distract her. Veneziano was surprised by this, but he wasn't unfriendly. That sad smile appeared again.

"I'm trying to save everyone close to me. We all have to make it out together, even if I don't make it." He replied. Then his eyes found the shield on her arm, and then he looked directly at her.

"And you? Who do you want to save?" he asked. Homura replied without hesitation.

"Madoka Kaname." She said. Once again, he was surprised. He tilted his head slightly, and she saw a curl on the side of his head bouncing slightly. She was slightly amused by this curl, and she found a tiny smile tracing her lips.

"Only one person? Is this girl the only one in danger?" he asked.

"No…she's not. Everyone is, but…I have to save her." She replied. He frowned, and his eyes darkened. He drew in on himself more. She noticed that he held the journal tightly in his hands.

"Why only her, then? I mean…aren't the others important too?" Veneziano asked. Homura blinked. She shifted the shield off her stomach, and her arm fell to the floor with a dull thud. Everything was still weighing on her. It was the only movement she could do.

No…it was the only thing she _wanted _to do.

"No. I can only save Madoka. The others…well…Madoka is my only friend. Without her, I'm all alone." Homura replied. Veneziano blinked again, completely shocked. Then, a soft laughter escaped him. Anger bubbled up in Homura's chest. How dare he judge her? After a moment, he stopped.

"_Mi dispiace_, but you surprised me. You don't really think you're alone, do you?" he asked. Homura narrowed her eyes, then she shifted her head, nodding. A bitter smile crossed Veneziano's face, and he shook his head 'no.'

"I know a person who think's he's all alone. In fact, I know quite a few. One of them has even told me that, even in death, he's all alone. But he's wrong." Veneziano started. He looked up, away from Homura, lost in his memories.

"He has two sisters, both who love him very much. He has another friend who loves him dearly, even when he doesn't want to show it. He has other friends, in all of us. And he has me. I've gone back in time just to save him, you know. Everyone else was alive, and it was all perfect, but I went back to save him from dying." Then he tugged slightly on his sleeve, which was stained red.

"All of this will disappear when I go back. This is just from this loop. But I will go back again and again, and come back each time like this, so that I can get everyone out. " he finished. Homura was silent, staring.

"That's...brave of you...but I can't think of anyone, besides Madoka, who is my friend. I mean...Mami...Sayaka...Kyoko...I can't save them all. It's too much." Homura started. Oddly, she felt her eyes begin to burn as she thought of them all. Mami's death, Sayaka becoming a witch, Kyoko staying with her to die...there was no way she could stop them all.

"I'm sure there are others. It would be very lonely to be the only one left." Veneziano replied. Once again, there was silence.

"You know, don't you?" Homura asked. "The pain of being alone, I mean. I know that too."

"_Sì_...I do. All too well." He replied. "It's a horrible feeling...I hope no one else has to feel that. Being alone. But we never are, are we? There is always someone...more than you think...who cares about you." Veneziano said. Homura looked away, up at the sky.

She cared about them all. Kyoko, Mami, Sayaka...they all meant something to her. She knew that now. They all helped her from being the only one.

Veneziano knew that he had to save them all, and Homura only saw one person. How childish was she? How could she only see Madoka?

"How long? How many times have you gone back?" she asked. Veneziano shrugged.

"I don't remember. It's been too long. You?"

"Neither do I. I remember the first four, but..." she said, her voice trailing off. She sat up, the movement almost dizzying. Veneziano smiled, and stood up, offering her a hand. She took it. He suddenly lurched forward, embracing her. He was a bit taller than her, almost an adult. His arms, strong and damp, pulled her close. It wasn't romantic, or uncomfortable. It was a needy embrace. He needed someone who understood everything, and so did she.

Homura burst into tears, her body shaking. Sobs wracked her, and tears streamed down her face, dampening his uniform. He held her close, and she felt his body shaking as well. His voice was heard, soft and choked with emotion.

"I'm so sorry...I didn't think anyone else...you're just so _young!_" he said. She clutched him closer, sobbing, letting out everything she had ben bottling up. All of the tears she had to choke back, all of the pain at seeing everyone she cared about dying _over and over_ again.

Finally, her sobs had died down, only to an occasional tremor. He was silent, still holding her, his head resting on the top of hers.

"Who are you?" she asked. Her voice was cracked from crying. He smiled.

"My name is Italy Veneziano, or North Italy. I'm a human representation of my country. Who are you?" he asked. She was silent. Did he really expect her to believe he was a country? She supposed she would never know who he really was.

"Homura Akemi, a Puella Magi who can travel through time." She replied. Veneziano released her, still smiling. Homura brushed her dress off, and flipped her hair off of her shoulders.

"I think...it's time for me to try again." She said. Veneziano nodded, taking his journal in his arms. She adjusted her shield on her arm, and began to walk away, when he caught her arm.

"Wait!" he said. Homura paused. Veneziano released her, then he reached into his pocket, pulling out a stick with a white cloth wrapped around it. He handed it to Homura, who accepted it, puzzled.

"It's a white flag, just in case you need to run away. Sometimes running away with your friends is the best option." He announced. She unfolded it, and couldn't help the tiny smile that crossed her face. She folded it up again and placed it in her shield's storage area.

"Thank you, hold on a second." Homura said. She gave him her pair of red glasses, the ones she removed when she decided to save everyone. He accepted them, putting them in his pocket.

"Glasses...if only I had a spare pair then..." he murmured, mostly to himself. She wondered what he meant, but didn't ask.

"It was nice meeting you, Homura. I have to go back now, I hope you succeed."Veneziano said. She nodded politely.

"Do you think we'll meet again?" Veneziano added. She shrugged.

"Maybe we will, and then we can save who we want to together." He continued. Then he grinned widely.

"Let's make a deal, if we don't succeed this time, we'll save them all together." He suggested. He held out his pinky, and Homura glanced at it skeptically, and then hooked hers around his. They shook.

"Deal." She replied. Veneziano flipped through his journal, and he wrote something down. He handed the paper to her. She was about to read it, but he stopped her.

"Read it when you get back to your time. It's important." He said. She nodded, putting it with the flag. Then she remembered how much time she had left.

"Well, then I must get going. I don't know how much time I have left, I have to stop it all." Homura said. She set her shield's time mechanism, and then it began to glow. She was once again enveloped in darkness.

She then woke up again, in her pajamas, clutching a white flag. The piece of paper was in her hands. She unfolded it, and began to read.

'_Even if you feel sad, look around yourself. And then realize, you are all un-alone.'_

XXXxxxXXXxxxXXX

A/N

I know Moemoura became Homura in the last timeline, but I just thought it would work better here.

Also, that's the one thing that bugged me about Homura. She never seemed to care about Mami, Sayaka, or Kyoko. Only Madoka. I think that she would at least care a little but about one of them after spending technically several months fighting alongside them. I don't know. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, please review~!


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